Considering that cutting the deficit retards growth, and Obama inherited the Great Recession, this is pretty astonishing we've had this much deficit reduction without tanking growth. It does help explain, however, why growth has been steady but sluggish.

The CBPP says we need an additional 1.4T in deficit reduction, and that's it: our long term debt would be stabilized under our current economy. Which means, of course, if we could get the economy growing at a 3%+ clip again, the long term deficit is put on a downward spiral.

Whatever the deficit was when Obama took over, the first thing he decided to do (besides close Guantanamo and have a let-them-eat-cake-style shindig for his inauguration) was to dramatically increase it.

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“The American people are tired of liars and people who pretend to be something they’re not.” - Hillary Clinton

Deficit reduction means jack when it comes after you inflate said deficit.

All these morons running around crowing about $1 trillion and $2 trillion and $4 trillion in deficit reduction over ten years keep forgetting to remind all of us that it still means trillions more in debt.

I really can't stand the idiots who proffer this bs line. They look at trillion dollar deficits and point to percentages and historical averages. By the time Obama is done he will have doubled the debt.

If you compare it to one year in the midst of a financial meltdown. Compare Obama's deficits to the average of any two years (not even asking for the typical ten year averages) and your argument that Obama is some great fiscal/debt/deficit hawk doesn't hold up.

And if you're so balls out for the guy stop talking about the deficit and point to his great contributions to the debt.

No, let's keep comparing everything Obama does to 2008. That's the only year that matters.

And stop with this inherited nonsense. Obama was a member of congress for 8 years before becoming president. Your trying to pretend he isn't partially responsible for the deficit he 'inherited' isn't playing here.

And stop with this inherited nonsense. Obama was a member of congress for 8 years before becoming president. Your trying to pretend he isn't partially responsible for the deficit he 'inherited' isn't playing here.

It was only 4 years, I think, but your point is still a good one.

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“The American people are tired of liars and people who pretend to be something they’re not.” - Hillary Clinton

Whatever the deficit was when Obama took over, the first thing he decided to do (besides close Guantanamo and have a let-them-eat-cake-style shindig for his inauguration) was to dramatically increase it.

Dramatically increase it by... 200 billion, according to most estimates. A deficit that was already 1.3 trillion.

For recovery measures. To inject demand into the economy.

If that's a "dramatically increasing," then we have subsequently seen a dramatic decreasing of the deficit on his watch as well, by your own mathematical standard.